


Idle Grievances

by amyfortuna



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen, Poetry, Sestina, Waiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2016-06-21
Packaged: 2018-07-16 12:19:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7267894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amyfortuna/pseuds/amyfortuna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the Valar wait, Fëanor departs from Tirion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Idle Grievances

**Author's Note:**

> For the lotr_community challenge for May 2016: Waiting. 
> 
> " _But from Valmar no message came, and Manwë was silent. He would not yet either forbid or hinder Fëanor's purpose; for the Valar were aggrieved that they were charged with evil intent to the Eldar, or that any were held captive by them against their will. Now they watched and waited, for they did not yet believe that Fëanor could hold the host of the Noldor to his will._ "  
>  \- Chapter 9: Of the Flight of the Noldor

Long in the Ring of Doom the Valar wait;  
Their resentment means that they stay silent,  
While in Tirion the Noldor say their farewell.  
Relentlessly driven on by Fëanor's strength of will,  
They take their leave of everything they love  
And prepare to venture forth into the dark. 

For a long while the Valar sit in the dark.  
Even they do not know for what they wait.  
Manwë refuses speech; he just stays silent.  
Is this the best of ways to say farewell?   
Are the Valar themselves silenced by Feanor's will?  
Is this the way to treat people you claim to love? 

The Eldar came to Valinor for protection and love,  
And you will let them go alone, vulnerable, into the dark?   
Why, oh Valar, do you hesitate, do you wait?   
Your petty grievance shows you to be silent.   
Rouse yourselves at least to say farewell!  
Can you not help? Have you no will? 

The Noldor will depart whether you will  
Or not; they go because of their love -  
Fëanor for his father and his jewels goes boldly into the dark.  
He will not turn back, he will not hesitate or wait,  
And Fëanor, above all else, will never be silent.   
From bliss to woe they have come: the Noldor say farewell! 

Manwë at last rouses himself to say farewell;  
Refuses to aid them but lets them do as they will.  
But in his message is not a hint of any love -   
And Fëanor he exiles, for his Oath, into the dark.   
Fëanor laughs at this: in bondage he would never wait,  
But exile is nothing he had not chosen. He is not silent -

Fëanor, above all else, will never be silent.   
He lifts his voice, bids the messenger farewell  
Speaks to the people of his purpose and will:  
He delays not in idle grief but goes for love -   
His flame, greater than they know, will light the dark.   
The Noldor depart, no longer will they wait. 

The messenger, silent, returns to where the Valar wait.   
"They are gone into the dark, led by Feanor's will.   
They go for vengeance, and to thy love they say farewell."

**Author's Note:**

> The sestina is one of my favourite forms of poetry and it was great fun to write this one about this particular sequence. In-universe, I like to think it was written by Maglor, either on the spot as they depart from Tirion, or shortly thereafter - in any case, before Alqualondë.


End file.
